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3232As ISIS Nears Defeat in Syria, the American Mission Endureshttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/as-isis-nears-defeat-in-syria-the-american-mission-endures/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/as-isis-nears-defeat-in-syria-the-american-mission-endures/#respondSat, 17 Feb 2018 20:28:41 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=685The commander of the allied forces fighting in Syria is General Hassam. A short and studded man with pepper and salt hair. He points out to reporters the location of the enemy just a few grass thatched huts on the horizon. General Hassan is pretty sure that his men will at some point leave their bases to combat ISIS fighters. These Islamist group fighters are concentrated in the Northwestern part of Syria in a place known as Afrin. The armed forces of Turkey are waging a war against their friends from the Kurdish army in this geographical location.

The main reason for hostilities between these two groups is that the Turks believe that the Kurdish fighters are sponsors of global terrorism who have links with the dangerous Kurdish separatists who reign terror in Turkey. However, Washington has a difference of opinion with their Turkish NATO allies. The US government believes that the best group of fighters to combat ISIS in Syria are the Kurds. The Trump administration has made plans to support the Kurdish fighters long after the Islamist fighters have been neutralized.

General Hassan has also embarked on a mission to send some of his best soldiers to the South to neutralize attacks from pro-regime fighters loyal to President Bashar-al-Assad that comprise of Russian fighters working for private military contractors loyal to the Kremlin. On the 7th of February this year, America forces raided airstrikes on pro-government fighters killing over 100 of them. The aerial attack was a self –defense action against a non-provoked attack from the fighters who are loyal to the government.

Moscow is offering support to the Syrian government and is obliged to have their military operations coordinated to avoid a collision with the Syrian defense forces and Kurdish fighters who are backed by the American military. General Hassan has said that he made attempts to reach out to the Russian armed forces when more than 500 pro-government fighters amassed together with mortars, rocket launchers and heavy artillery in readying for an attack to the US-led coalition forces. However, at the time, the Russian denied that an attack was being planned against the Kurdish fighters and the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF).

They also maintained deniability of any knowledge of the attack even when the fighters were launching mortars and heavy artillery shells in a Kurdish military base where US military special operations advisors were present. The artillery and mortar shells fell only 500 meters away from the Kurdish base.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/as-isis-nears-defeat-in-syria-the-american-mission-endures/feed/0Finance Expert Ted Bauman Explains 10 Lucrative Tax Tipshttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/finance-expert-ted-bauman-10-tax-tips/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/finance-expert-ted-bauman-10-tax-tips/#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 17:20:22 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=680During December 2017, financial guru Ted Bauman recommended a number of techniques that could help U.S. taxpayers when they file returns in April. These strategies enable people to pay smaller taxes by benefiting from existing laws before they change. Americans can accomplish this without breaking or bending any rules.

Upcoming Changes

Before reading Ted Bauman’s tips, it’s important to understand the effects of a tax bill that the legislature recently passed. Most of the new rules only apply to income earned during 2018 and beyond. They temporarily reduce tax rates for several years.

The standard deduction will rise significantly. Taxpayers with relatively low incomes can plan on paying less as a result. Economists predict that most people won’t itemize deductions after this change takes effect. They only expect about one out of 20 citizens to favor itemization in April 2019.

An advantage of the new rules is that many business owners will qualify for a larger deduction when paying personal taxes. They can subtract 20 percent of 2018’s partnership, S corporation or LLC profits. Owners may deduct 17 percent of the net earnings that they generated in 2017.

Ted Bauman’s Advice

On the other hand, some changes will increase the total expense for numerous families. Homeowners face new limits on deductions for home loan interest and property taxes. Lawmakers have banished personal exemptions as well. This change partially counteracts the benefit of a bigger standard deduction. Bauman offered these well-researched tips to help taxpayers make the best of the situation:

He urged Americans to prepay 2018’s mortgage interest and property taxes before the end of 2017. If you followed this advice, remember to deduct both years’ expenses when you file your tax return in April. New limits and a higher standard deduction may prevent you from doing so in the future.

The well-known financial expert advised people to pay for planned medical services in December and deduct them in April. An immediate change to the income threshold means that more people can subtract health expenses from taxable income received in 2017 and 2018. The Affordable Care Act penalty won’t expire for another year.

Ted Bauman also called for his newsletter’s readers to make philanthropic contributions prior to January 1, 2018. Remember to gather receipts for any donations that you made last year. Many people will claim their final charitable deductions in April. Bauman has worked for various housing nonprofits and took part in the creation of a group called Slum Dwellers International.

Although legislators decided not to eliminate the student loan interest deduction, Bauman pointed out that taxpayers could gain more benefits from paying interest in late 2017 instead of 2018. The investment guru earned his history and economics degrees at the University of Cape Town several decades ago, so he didn’t need to follow this advice.

Ted Bauman encouraged taxpayers to buy cars before December came to an end. If you bought a vehicle last year, your timing increased the likelihood that you’ll qualify to deduct the state sales tax in April. Don’t forget to keep the sales receipt in a safe place.

Bauman lives in Georgia, but he provided some advice for people in New York and other places with high state income taxes. He urged independent contractors to boost federal deductions by convincing clients to pay them before the end of 2017.

The newsletter author and editor also suggested that taxpayers try to request yearly bonuses during December rather than January. However, people who pay low state taxes might benefit if they delayed income until January 2018 to take advantage of lower federal tax rates.

Bauman offered highly sophisticated recommendations for people with businesses or retirement accounts. For instance, he urged some readers to switch to Roth IRAs while following the above-mentioned deduction advice. You should carefully estimate the potential savings to determine if it makes sense to convert a conventional IRA in 2018.

The finance expert noted that IRS rules will only allow 1031 swaps involving real estate after January 1, 2018. He encouraged business owners to complete any other trades before New Year’s Day. This complex technique provides capital gains tax advantages for companies that swap physical assets.

Ted Bauman advises people to think about establishing limited liability companies in 2018. Under the new code, some individuals can dramatically reduce their taxes by operating LLCs. Surprisingly, they might save considerable amounts of cash if they stop working as employees and become independent contractors. The effects vary depending on a person’s tax bracket.

Ted Bauman suggests using a knowledgeable tax preparer, especially when the rules change. If you file your own return, try to complete difficult tasks in the morning while you remain energetic. Readers who take Bauman’s advice can look forward to generous tax refunds in May. His monthly newsletter offers further financial tips, click here to sign up.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/finance-expert-ted-bauman-10-tax-tips/feed/0Doctor Wants Changes To Louisiana Lawhttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/doctor-wants-changes-to-louisiana-law/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/doctor-wants-changes-to-louisiana-law/#respondThu, 15 Feb 2018 20:25:36 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=678In many hospitals across the country, a baby who is born to a mother who has been addicted to drugs is either taken into child protective custody or monitored until the mother is healthy enough to go home. In Louisiana, babies are sent home with addicted mothers like any other child that is born. Pediatricians like Dr. Michael Ulich want these standards to change. He is pushing for some kind of overhaul of the law that allows mothers to take their babies home even if they test positive for drugs.

Ulich is a pediatrician who has seen the impacts that drugs can do to babies who are born to mothers who have been addicted to drugs. Some of the babies have meth in their bodies while others have heroin or cocaine. He recently wrote a news article to the “The Times” about the issue taking place in Louisiana as a way to bring awareness to the fact that it’s a law that mothers are to be allowed to take their children home. When Ulich sees babies who are clearly also addicted to the drugs and he knows that the mothers are addicted, he makes a report to child protective services.

Most of the time, CPS won’t bother to open a case even after a doctor calls with evidence that the baby has drugs in the system. If the mother tests positive and the baby doesn’t, then the issue is usually overlooked. This is a frightening situation for doctors like Ulich who only want to help their patients. The only time that CPS will normally open a case is if there is evidence that the baby is in danger or if the mother has neglected or abused the child. CPS wants mothers to have a chance to raise their children even if they are addicted to drugs at the time of birth.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/doctor-wants-changes-to-louisiana-law/feed/0New Antibiotics Found In Dirt Can Be the Answer To Antibiotic-Resistant Infectionshttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/new-antibiotics-found-in-dirt-can-be-the-answer-to-antibiotic-resistant-infections/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/new-antibiotics-found-in-dirt-can-be-the-answer-to-antibiotic-resistant-infections/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 20:17:19 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=675Some people say that the age of modern medicine began in 1928 when Penicillin was discovered. A British Scientist by the name of Alexander Fleming went on vacation and forgot to put away a petri dish. When he came back, he realized that the bacteria in the petri dish was being killed by mold. Thus, the era of Penicillin began.

Many of us take medicines derived from microorganisms for granted. Already existing medicines seem like magic bullets. However, pathogens are evolving resistance to dozens of drugs, making it harder to treat infections. Experts believe that, globally, there may be about 10 million deaths brought on by antibiotic resistant infections by the year 2050. Scientists are trying to discover new molecules that can treat antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

The answer may be in dirt. Sean Brady, an associate professor at Rockefeller University in New York, believes that some microorganisms found in dirt might produce substances that are able to cure antibiotic resistance infections.

There are countless amounts of microorganisms that live in soil. It is worthwhile to study them in order to figure out whether or not we can derive new infection-fighting medicines from them. Already, many drugs come from bacteria A great example is streptomycin, a medicine for the plague and tuberculosis. It is produced by Streptomyces griseus—a bacteria that was found in a farm field in New Jersey.

Brady and his coworkers discovered a new class of antibiotics, called malacidins, after examining a sample of unknown organisms that lived in a random soil sample. They have found that malacidins kill off several super-bugs, including MRSA, without high risks of antibiotic resistance happening.

Bacteria commonly fight each other and have evolved ways to protect themselves against one another. One way that they protect themselves is the production of harsh chemicals that kill off other bacteria. These chemicals are what we harvest as antibiotics.

It’s hard to find new bacteria when some bacteria just don’t grow well in laboratories. As a result, Brady and his coworkers are looking at samples sent in from citizen scientists from across America.

Metagenetics help with the harvest and study of new bacteria because it allows genes to be sequenced en masse. Brady and his coworkers look for genes that produce certain chemicals.

Many new antibiotics are being found, though it can take many years before they are prescribed or given over the counter. There is a lot of testing to be done.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/new-antibiotics-found-in-dirt-can-be-the-answer-to-antibiotic-resistant-infections/feed/0It Is Time for America to realize that turkey is Out Of Controlhttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/it-is-time-for-america-to-realize-that-turkey-is-out-of-control/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/it-is-time-for-america-to-realize-that-turkey-is-out-of-control/#respondTue, 13 Feb 2018 20:11:02 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=671The direct clash between the US military and Turkish military has increased exponentially since the Turkish incursion into Syria. The fight against the Kurdish fighter backed by the American military in the northwest part of Syria by the Turkish military has a significant destabilizing effect. If President Tayyip Erdogan keeps his promise of pressing further east is set to pose a real threat of the collision of these two allies in NATO. President Erdogan has repeatedly said that his military would proceed farther east to the Manbij city which is controlled by both the US troops and the Kurdish fighters. Before things get worse, the American Middle East policymakers need to come up with a tou8gh stance against Turkey in the region that would neutralize the threat.

President Erdogan said that he would be forced to bury the American troops who are defending Manbij together with the Kurdish fighters whom turkey view as enemy number one. The Turkish president said that he would ignore calls from Washington and head all the way to Manbij which could be a move that would damage the special alliance between Istanbul and Washington that has lasted for a long time. The conflict between these two allies has been escalated by Erdogan’s conflict of interest with Donald Trump regarding Syria and their special flirtation with Moscow. Any hope of a functional US-Turkey relationship is only possible if Washington makes a crystal clear statement that the advances and threats issued by the Turkish president will not be tolerated.

Moreover, such a stringent warning should be followed by a deterrent posture adopted by American policymakers in the region. However, a host of mixed messages from the US to turkey together with a tendency by Washington to treat Istanbul gingerly has given an assurance that the American interest in Syria which includes a lease for airbases is of so much importance to the US that it should not fail at any cost. This will only serve to increase Erdogan’s appetitive for aggression which would ultimately drag the Trump administration into a direct armed conflict with Turkey.

President Erdogan must be briefed on the dire consequences of trying a hostile takeover of Manbij and President Trump and his administration are supposed to be willing to follow it to the end. Although it is utterly reckless, the special relationship between Turkey and the US which has lasted since 1950 would come to a screeching halt if president Erdogan executes his threat of attacking Manbij.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/it-is-time-for-america-to-realize-that-turkey-is-out-of-control/feed/0Mike Pence Say That America and Her Allies Would Use Any Means Necessary to defend themselves Against Pyongyanghttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/mike-pence-say-that-america-and-her-allies-would-use-any-means-necessary-to-defend-themselves-against-pyongyang/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/mike-pence-say-that-america-and-her-allies-would-use-any-means-necessary-to-defend-themselves-against-pyongyang/#respondMon, 12 Feb 2018 20:10:13 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=668The US Vice President Mike Pence said that Washington would take all the actions that are necessary to defend the United States and her allies against an imminent attack from the repressive regime of North Korea. The Vice president made this comments in Pyeongchang where he is attending the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Pence said that the American armed forces together with the Self-defense forces of Japan and their allies in Seoul would do whatever is necessary to defend themselves and their people against any possible attack that may be executed by Kim Jong Un.

The statement has come at a time when the US president Donald Trump has agreed to have all joint military exercise between the US military and their counterparts in South Korea halted until the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics come to an end. During the Olympics’ opening ceremony, the US Vice President and his wife were spotted in an adjacent sitting position with Kim Yo Jong who is the blood sister to the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pence said that the decision to halt the military exercises that are usually carried out by the US military in the Korean peninsula should not be confused to mean that Pyongyang was winning or that the US was afraid of Kim. Military commentators and defense experts said that North Korea was experiencing a severe shortage of the automobiles and armored carriers that are used to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.

These inferences were made after Kim Jong Un paraded his military might on Thursday on the streets of Pyongyang. The US has been having a policy of maximum pressure against North Korea to force them to abandon their nuclear missiles program and allow both US and UN inspectors to go through the country’s piles of weapons of mass destruction and have them destroyed. President Trump has always had a rigid and tough stand against Kim Jong Un where he has repeatedly referred to him as a little rocket man. Trump said that there would be no meaningful negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang if North Korea did not abandon its nuclear missile program first which posed a threat not only to the United States but to the security and stability in the region.

The United Nations has also passed resolutions to impose economic sanctions on North Korea which Kim Jong Un has termed as an act of war. The US military has dispatched a carrier strike group and two B-2 Stealth bombers in the Guam Island in the Pacific Ocean just 2000 kilometers from Pyongyang.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/mike-pence-say-that-america-and-her-allies-would-use-any-means-necessary-to-defend-themselves-against-pyongyang/feed/0Twitter Finally Becomes Profitablehttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/twitter-finally-becomes-profitable/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/twitter-finally-becomes-profitable/#respondFri, 09 Feb 2018 23:50:16 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=664Twitter has been one of the most popular social media platforms in the world for the past decade. It has hundreds of millions of active users. Pretty much every celebrity uses Twitter on a regular basis to reach their fans and make public statements. This is why there is a commonly held belief that Twitter is raking in the cash in the same way that Facebook is. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that Twitter has always had a problem generating a profit. It would surprise most people to find out that Twitter just recently posted its first profitable quarter in the history of the company. Twitter decided to go public in 2013.

Twitter has been through a very difficult period that has seen the company lay off many employees. The CEO position has also changed hands several times. Jack Dorsey, one of the co-creators of the company, has returned to the helm. Twitter’s video streaming service called Vine was done away with because it was not turning a profit the way the company had hoped. Much of the profit that Twitter has made came from a 2% increase in advertising revenue from the same quarter last year. Overall, the company generated more than $700 million in ad revenue last quarter. Jack Dorsey recently said that he expects Twitter to make a profit for the rest of 2018.

The report of the profits was recently released to Twitter shareholders. This caused the stock to go up by 20%. One of the biggest changes to Twitter occurred last quarter when they finally decided to double the amount of characters that a user can include in a single tweet. Dorsey has said that this has led to an increase in retweets. He also said that much of the confusion surrounding the use of Twitter has been eliminated.

It was not all good news for Twitter. They have not been able to grow the number of people who use the social media platform on a regular basis. In fact, the number of users in the United States went down slightly during the quarter. The number of users on a global scale remained basically the same. The failure to attract new users is something that has been a problem for Twitter for quite some time. The company did not address this issue when they released their quarterly earnings report.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/twitter-finally-becomes-profitable/feed/0Joel Friant: His Entrepreneurial Journey from Real Estate to the Habanero Shakerhttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/joel-friant-entrepreneurial-journey-real-estate-habanero-shaker/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/joel-friant-entrepreneurial-journey-real-estate-habanero-shaker/#respondThu, 08 Feb 2018 18:39:06 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=660Joel Friant worked in the real estate industry for a short period only to find that his love for food was to play a greater role in his career as a serial entrepreneur. He is enthusiastic about the free market and loves creating food products for culinary aficionados who enjoy experimenting with exotic spices. Joel believes in the concept of running a home-based business and loves helping people learn how to attain success.

Joel became part of the restaurant sphere in 1995 when he branded himself as the Thai Guy. His fast food Thai concept eventually led to an exploration about how to introduce Americans to the exotic and tasty Habenero chili pepper. It was during this period that Joel Friant started to sell his invention called the Habenero Shaker.

Joel continued to buy, renovate, foreclose and sell properties while also introducing his Habenero Shaker to large grocery stores in the state of Washington. Joel began to study information about real estate mortgages and was quickly promoted as the highest achiever within the sales department. He then opened his own mortgage lending office.

After the major economic crisis of 2008, Joel Friant became intrigued by the fact that some individuals managed to become highly successful while others simply could not succeed. He invented a concept called the income thermostat in which he drew on writings by Maxwell Maltz and Wallace Wattles. He was entranced with the philosophy and shared the ideas with others. Joel has written numerous articles about the topic.

In 2012, Joel became interested in opportunities associated with online sales. He completed eBay and Amazon courses and began selling the Habanero Shaker and other items on the two websites. He soon became interested in cryptocurrencies. Today, Joel teaches investors about blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies while continuing to promote his Habanero Shaker brand.

In a recent interview, Joel Friant shared the following views and philosophies:

How did you conceive of the Habanero Shaker concept?

My high school buddy introduced me to the enticing Habanero pepper. It was love at first sight. One day, I came to the realization that pure Habanero shakers did not exist. The shakers offered in stores either contained salt or other spices. I went on a trip to Jamaica and learned about different varieties including the related Scotch Bonnet pepper. I knew that I had to introduce the exotic flavor to consumers.

Can you describe an average day in your life?

I write my plans on a calendar and try to do the priority activities first thing in the morning. I try to work on important projects immediately instead of procrastinating until the next day, week or month.

Is there a method you practice that promotes ideas?

Yes, I often think of ideas when I’m riding my bike. A long bicycle ride is like meditation. I frequently put the brakes on my bike, take out a notebook and write down my concepts. People who know me laugh when they see me writing notes. They know I’m up to something new.

Is there one particular habit that gives a push to your entrepreneurial endeavors?

I have to refer you again to my writing habit. I suppose I could have had a career as a novelist if I had not been interested in the concept of online marketing. I do not like to keep all my ideas floating around in my brain. I prefer writing everything down with an old-fashioned pen. Once I record my ideas on paper, my mind is free to think of new concepts without all the clutter. In addition, I never spend too much time thinking about my next project or idea. I write my ideas down on paper as soon as they are conceived. I then attempt to put each concept into motion.

Is there one memorable failure you experienced as a budding entrepreneur?

My big mistake was that I did not view myself in a leadership role. Consequently, I never associated with the right people. I had not yet learned to trust my own ideas. I thought that other individuals were superior and brilliant. I eventually made up my mind to concentrate on my own personal goals and forget about the accomplishments of other entrepreneurs. I learned how to think in a positive way about every single issue in my life. I developed the philosophy of taking risks with the belief that not taking any risks in life meant not ever achieving any tangible rewards.

I realized that most people were looking for security instead of embarking on potentially worthwhile adventures. The most important thing I discovered was to believe in my innate abilities. Plus, I began to work extremely hard. I wrote down specific goals to accomplish each day and did not go to sleep until the tasks were accomplished. It only takes a little bit of effort to accomplish big dreams.

The Habanero Shaker created by entrepreneur Joel Friant may become a favorite product of the future. Consumers who have tasted the spicy Habanero flakes typically enjoy the pleasant, robust flavor offered by nature’s bountiful harvest. Many food connoisseurs think that the Habanero pepper has more flavor than any other pepper in the world. While Joel Friant readily acknowledges the fact that other shakers exist, he believes that his Habanero Shaker offers consumers more flavor and heat. Although the flakes are extremely spicy, they are not too hot for people who love the rich taste of peppers.

The amount of heat in a Habanero pepper far outweighs the spiciness of the common Jalapeno pepper. The natural capsaicin within Habanero peppers can actually help a person to experience positive endorphins. The endorphins cause an individual to feel happier and more peaceful. The drawback is that these flavorful peppers are somewhat addicting. However, consumers are only too happy to become addicted to the delicious, hot and tasty flakes emanating from the Habanero Shaker.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/joel-friant-entrepreneurial-journey-real-estate-habanero-shaker/feed/0The US and turkey Lock Heads as Relations Continue to Deterioratehttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/the-us-and-turkey-lock-heads-as-relations-continue-to-deteriorate/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/the-us-and-turkey-lock-heads-as-relations-continue-to-deteriorate/#respondWed, 07 Feb 2018 20:21:50 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=658The relations between Washington and Istanbul are in a deep crisis. The disputed between the countries now seem to be infinite from the attempted coup in turkey in 2016, to US’s Middle East foreign policy to human rights and Syria. Just last year, Turkey and the US suspended the issuance of visas to their citizens who wanted to travel to either country which represented an all-time low in the bilateral relationship. The leaders of these two nations have extremely quick triggers to anger and temperament as shown by them banning visas to their respective citizens.

The Koç Rams American coach, John Booker has said that the strained relationship between Turkey and the US has given rise to anxiety. Mr. Booker adds that the two heads of state are also quite difficult for anyone to predict their next move or what was going to happen shortly. The diplomatic ties between these two nations have almost reached a breaking point in the past few months. Turkey has taken on a new offensive of bombing Syrian fighters of Kurdish descent who were given military and logistical support by the United States. Ankara perceived the Kurdish fighters as sponsors of global terrorism who are connected to the Kurdish insurgents who have staged a bloody war in Turkey since the 1980s.

However, the US government sees them as coalition forces on the ground who have helped them in the fight against ISIS. The likelihood of a direct military confrontation between the two most massive armies in NATO is growing by the day. Volkan Bozkir who serves as a member of parliament and the chair of the committee on foreign affairs with the ruling AK Party said that Turkey does not have a problem with Washington. Mr. Bozkir said that the Turks and the Americans have striven and fought together for stability and peace in the region which has been historically unstable.

The MP said that to repair the relationship between the two nations, they must start at looking at how 30,000 lives have been lost on the hands of Kurdish fighters in Syria who have received support both regarding personnel and logistics from the United States. The dispute runs deeper as Ankara places blame on a Turkish cleric for planning and executing an attempted coup in 2016 and have received sanctuary in the United States. Turkey has made constant requests for his extradition but to no avail.

]]>https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/the-us-and-turkey-lock-heads-as-relations-continue-to-deteriorate/feed/0Beto O’Rourke Closes in On Ted Cruz Per Latest Poll by End Citizens Unitedhttps://premiergazette.com/2018/02/beto-orourke-closes-in-ted-cruz-poll-end-citizens-united/
https://premiergazette.com/2018/02/beto-orourke-closes-in-ted-cruz-poll-end-citizens-united/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 21:05:12 +0000http://premiergazette.com/?p=649Democrats have picked up 34 seats during the past year, and many of these were located in areas that have traditionally voted for the GOP. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the latest poll from End Citizens United shows Beto O’Rourke closing in fast on Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Although flipping Cruz’s seat isn’t likely to be one of the focal points of the 2018 election cycle, Democrats would certainly be buoyed by an unexpected win in Texas.

End Citizens United, a nationwide group that was founded on March 1, 2015, recently indicated that Cruz is leading by the narrow margin of 45 to 37 percent. At the beginning of the year, the Cruz campaign claimed that the incumbent Texas senator was leading polls by 18 percent. A survey conducted by Google around that same time gave Cruz a 14 percent lead. Either way, it appears that O’Rourke’s odds of winning have dramatically risen in only one month’s time.

Ted Cruz is in Danger of Losing to Himself

One of the most notable aspects of the recent poll by campaign finance reform advocacy group End Citizens United is the fact that Ted Cruz is getting in his own way. A whopping 61 percent of likely Texas voters apparently don’t know enough about O’Rourke or his political views to even offer an opinion on him as a candidate. That might not seem like a recipe for success, but in this particular case, it may continue to lead to increasing poll gains.

The primary reason O’Rourke is doing better than expected is that Cruz’s ratings show him in an unfavorable light. In fact, 49 percent of poll respondents have an unfavorable opinion of the Republican, and only 38 percent view him through a favorable lens.

Environmental Group Gets Involved in the Election

Endorsements help raise a candidate’s profile, and they can also sway voters one way or the other. In December, O’Rourke received an endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund. The same group is offering support to Veronica Escobar, who has joined a crowded group of Democrats vying for O’Rourke’s former House seat.

Can O’Rourke’s Message Carry Him Across the Finish Line?

As previously mentioned, one of the major issues that Democrats face in the Cruz-O’Rourke race is that most Texas voters don’t know anything about O’Rourke. When likely voters were given more information about his platform, including his pledge to steer clear of all money from PACS, he was able to outrank Cruz by two points. In other words, getting his campaign platform in front of the masses is going to be critical if the Democrats want to exploit O’Rourke’s current polling gains.

Avoiding PACs Brought in Big Donations for O’Rourke

During the last three months of 2017, O’Rourke was able to raise $2.4 million from supporters without getting involved with any PACs. Cruz, who is well-known to accept money from PACs, only raised $1.9 million during the same time frame. This wasn’t a fluke, either; O’Rourke also raised more than Cruz during the second quarter of 2017.

Despite these big results, Cruz’s willingness to work with PACs has enabled his campaign to put together more cash on hand. O’Rourke is estimated to have approximately $4.6 million right now, and Cruz has $7.3 million on his side.

This disparity is one of the things that End Citizens United fights against. The group’s president, Tiffany Muller, has helped showcase the power of grassroots advocacy work. By taking in an average of only $14 per donor, End Citizens United raised an impressive $25 million during the last election cycle. O’Rourke and other Democrats may be able to continuously achieve similar success by emulating this formula.

Does O’Rourke Have a Good Chance of Winning in Texas?

Most experts predict that Cruz will win his reelection campaign. However, O’Rourke is taking a few pages from Cruz’s 2012 playbook, which may make the election much closer than anticipated. After all, the grassroots efforts of the Tea Party catapulted long-shot candidate Cruz into a Senator’s seat.

Now, O’Rourke is the long-shot who is using grassroots techniques to reach voters. Social media is his main method, and he’s used Facebook Live multiple times to gain attention at all hours of the day and night. This energy makes him the easy favorite in the primaries, but it remains to be seen if he can build enough support to take Cruz down in November. Of course, Cruz also needs to avoid any controversies that could further damage his chances of staying in office.